I'm Not Giving Up On You
by Skye Fitz-Simmons
Summary: "She shouldn't have done it. He was supposed to be the one. He was supposed to die down there and she was supposed to live a long, healthy life. But, after he hit the defibrillator button, she pushed the oxygen mask to his face and released the burst into his lungs. Nine days later, she was still in a coma..." Rated T for Language(just in case) First Fit-Simmons chapter story!
1. Chapter 1

**Prompt: What if things had gone the opposite way at the end of season one? What if Simmons had forced Fitz to use the oxygen for himself? What if she had gone without and suffered brain damage? How would she react? How would Fitz treat her? **

She shouldn't have done it. He was supposed to be the one. He was supposed to die down there and she was supposed to live a long, healthy life. But, after he hit the defibrillator button, she pushed the oxygen mask to his face and released the burst into his lungs. Nine days later, she was still in a coma and all he could do was worry and fret and wonder if she would ever be the same, sweet, wonderful bio-chemist she was before this mess. But the chances of that slipped away a little with each day that she remained unconscious.

"Fitz?"

The engineer looked up to see Skye looking at him with concern. They were in the mess hall of the "Playground" base. Fitz had a tray full of food in front of him, cold and untouched. Skye's tray was all but empty.

"did…did I zone out again?" he asked her.

She nodded, a sad smile on her face.

"Fitz, Simmons is going to be alright. The doctors said her brain activity is increasing every day. She'll be awake any day now." she encouraged.

Fitz sighed and nodded, trying to give Skye a convincing smile.

"I know. Any day." he agreed.

He picked a piece of bread off his tray and held it in his teeth while he cleared his place. Speaking of Simmons, he needed to get back to her. She was probably wondering where he was. Fitz had been in to see her every single day, several times a day, since the incident. He talked to her. Kept her informed of goings-on, shared his ideas, told jokes. Anything he could think of, just to be able to let her know he was there. Skye watched as he dumped his food, minus the bread, in the garbage and ran off to the hospital wing. She sighed and shook her head.

"We all need you back, Simmons. Fitz especially." she murmured before clearing her own place.

Fitz went into the tiny hospital room. He used to grimace every time he saw Jemma with so many tubes and wires but he had gotten accustomed to them now. He sat down in a chair next to her bedside and munched on his bread.

"Afternoon, Simmons." he said casually between bites.

"You'd probably be scolding me right now. Threw a bunch of perfectly good food away. I didn't eat anything again. Well, not anything, I did grab bit of bread before I dumped my tray."

He finished of the bread and sighed.

"Not much has changed since yesterday. Coulson managed to wrangle a few more recruits. Mercenaries, more like. They're only here for the money. But, they're loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. and not Hydra, so I guess that's good." he said with a shrug.

He looked down at her serene face and gave a sad smile.

"God, you're so beautiful." he whispered, more to himself.

He reached out and grasped her pale, still hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"You've got to pull through this, Jemma. I need my partner back. I don't care if you don't remember what I said down there or if you do and you don't feel the same way I just…..I need to see you being yourself again. Up and smiling. Bossing me 'round."

He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb gently.

"Remember the first time we were lab partners?" he said, smiling fondly. "We hated each other so much. We were so concentrated on making the each other miserable that we failed the assignment. Actually failed. You nearly had a stroke, I think. The instructor gave us another chance for half points. And, once we started working together, instead of against one another….we were unstoppable, weren't we?"

Fitz felt something move and looked down. Simmons' fingers were curling around his. His eyes opened wide.

"Jemma?" he whispered.

He looked at her face to see her eyes flutter a bit. He squeezed her hand and leaned in close to her.

"Jemma, I know you can hear me. Come on, girl. Fight." he encouraged.

Jemma's fingers tightened a bit before relaxing again. Fitz brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

"Fight your way back, Jem. I know you can." he said, getting excited in spite of himself.

Her eyes fluttered again, this time in a more controlled way. She took a deep breath in, as if mustering all her strength. Her fingers tightened and this time, stayed that way. A small moan rose from her chest. Tears rolled down Fitz's cheeks. She was waking up!

"Doctor! I need a doctor, she's waking up!" he yelled as he clutched her hand tightly.

He heard footsteps approach behind him and he looked up at the doctor.

"She's squeezing my hand, doctor. And she fluttered her eyes and took a deep breath. I thought I heard her moan a bit just a second ago." he explained as he moved aside a bit, keeping hold of Jemma's hand as if he needed to help pull her through this.

The doctor crouched down and took her vitals. As he did so, she continued to stir. The doctor smiled.

"This is very good. Keep talking to her. See if you can coax her awake." he encouraged.

Fitz nodded.

"Jemma, don't give up. I'm right here. Come on you brilliant, beautiful thing."

"What's going on?" Skye asked as she came into the room.

Fitz smiled at her happily.

"She's waking up! You were right, Skye, she's waking up!" he replied excitedly.

Skye rushed over, a wide smile on her face.

"No way! Fitz, this is awesome!" she said happily.

"Skye's here, Jem. You've got to wake up now." Fitz insisted.

'Come on, Simmons, we're rooting for you!" Skye cheered.

Jemma moaned, louder this time, and screwed her eyes shut. Her free hand came up to her forehead and she arched her back. She sighed as she laid back down, now blinking as the world came into focus. Her eyes flitted around everywhere before settling on Fitz and Skye. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth which made both of her friends tear up. Fitz looked down at the floor and gave her hand another squeeze.

"Thank you, God. Thank you for bringing her back." he whispered in a choked voice.

The doctor wanted a few minutes alone to evaluate her and help her get a sense of what was happening. Fitz waited outside, trying so hard to contain himself. Simmons was awake. After days of nothing, she was finally back with them. Fitz wanted to yell and cry and laugh all at the same time. He had his partner back. The doctor came out after a few minutes and addressed Fitz and Skye.

"Well, she's doing very well. She's coherent and responsive. She passed an initial memory test, so there's no sign so far of any amnesia-like trauma. You can go in and talk to her one at a time but try to keep it short and sweet. " he explained.

Skye smiled at Fitz.

"You go first." she insisted.

He didn't need to be told twice. When he went in, she was sitting upright and trying her hand at eating with a spoon. She looked up and smiled at him as he came and sat down next to her.

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

Jemma heaved a sigh.

"I'm….tired and, um, …a bit, uh….a bit"

Her brow wrinkled in frustration like it did when she couldn't figure something out. She sighed again and shook her head.

"My words are all…..confused! That's the word! Tired and confused."

Fitz's brow furrowed in concern and he put his hand on her arm.

'It's alright, Jemma. You can take your time readjusting. You've been through a lot." he encouraged.

Jemma looked at him, frustration still clear in her eyes.

"I heard you...while I was, um….un-…un-.."

Fitz's heart broke to see her struggle so much.

"Unconscious?" he offered.

Jemma growled in frustration and buried her head in her hands. Fitz patted her back reassuringly.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, alright? You just came out of a nine day coma, for God's sake. It's going to take a bit to get your bearings but you'll be alright." he said softly.

He reached out and cupped her cheek, turning her head so he can look in her eyes.

"I'm not going to give up on you. So don't give up on yourself, alright?"

She tried a smiled but Fitz could still tell she was irritated. He gently kissed her forehead and patted her back before standing up to go.

"Doctor said to make it short so, I'm going to head off. Skye wants to come in and see you though, are you up to it?" he asked.

Jemma seemed to consider it for a moment and then, somewhat reluctantly, nodded. Fitz noted her reluctance as he went to get Skye.

"She's not entirely herself yet, okay? She's having a little trouble forming sentences so go easy on her." he warned before sending her in.

**~*#*~**

The days that followed were a frustrating montage of struggling at simple everyday tasks, failing to solve simple equations, and constantly losing words in her head. Fitz tried to help her but, every time he did, she yelled at him.

"I don't want you to just give me the answers, Fitz! I need to figure this out on my own!"

"I'm sorry, Jemma. I'm just…"

"I know! You're trying to help me! But you can't, Fitz!"

She threw all of her test papers off the bed and buried her head in her hands. Fitz bent down and started picking up the papers.

"I can if you let me, Jemma. Me, Skye, Coulson, we're all trying to help you but you keep trying to do this on your own." Fitz pleaded with her.

He set the tests aside and sat on the bed next to Simmons, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and holding her tight as she silently cried.

"I know its frustrating, Jemma, I really do. And I can't imagine what you're going through right now but you can't-"

"You should have left me at the bottom of the ocean." she whispered fiercely.

"Give...up...hope..." Fitz finished, stunned by what she had just said.

He sighed and shook his head.

"You don't mean that, Jemma." he said calmly.

She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair.

"No, its true. It would have been better for everyone." she murmured, looking like all of the life had left her.

Fitz grabbed her shoulder and turned her to look at him. He leveled his eyes at her, strong and determined.

"You think I'd be better off without you, Jemma? If you truly believe that, you don't know me at all." he said seriously.

Jemma's lip trembled and a tear streamed down her cheek.

"You deserve better, Fitz. I'm br-…bro-"

Fitz shook his head and cupped her cheek gently.

"For nine days, I sat beside this bed talking to you. I didn't know if you were even going to wake up. You think I care if you lose your words sometimes?" he whispered.

He cupped the back of her head gently and gazed into her eyes.

"I didn't leave you down in that container and I'm not going to leave you now. I love you, Jemma. That hasn't changed." he murmured.

Slowly, gently, he pressed his lips to hers. Jemma closed her eyes, allowing a few more tears to slip down her cheeks. Her hand moved, of its own accord, to rest on his shoulder while his slid into place on her back. He pulled her closer to him, having to retsrain himself from trying to take her right there. That time would come, but he would need to move toward it slowly. And he wanted it to be special. Not just a means to satisfy a desire but a tender expression of love. He broke the kiss after a few moments and softly nuzzled her forehead.

"I need you, Jemma. Please don't give up on me." he pleaded quietly.

She pressed her lips together and nodded. He smiled and gave her another quick kiss. 

"That's my girl." he cooed.

Fitz convinced Jemma to give the tests another try while he went and got lunch for the both of them. He stepped out the door to see May leaning against the wall opposite him. He paused and she gave him a half-smile.

"She's doing better?" she asked.

Fitz smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Gets frustrated with herself quite a bit, poor thing. But, once she takes the time to work things through, she starts enjoying it again." he explained.

May nodded in approval and pushed herself off the wall.

"Then maybe she can do without you for a bit. Coulson needs you to go with Skye on a mission that requires your device dissecting expertise."

Fitz shrugged and then nodded.

"Alright, sure. When?" he asked.

"Right now." May replied.

Fitz's brow furrowed. He looked back toward Jemma's room and then at May again.

"Can it wait until after lunch?" he asked.

May gave him a "Seriously?" look that told him that, no, it couldn't. He made a sound that was between a groan and a whine but nodded.

"Alright but, can you eat with her then? I just want to make sure she doesn't choke accidentally."

May nodded and Fitz smiled.

"Thank you. Alright, I'm off then." he said as he made his way to be briefed.

May grabbed two trays a food and took them to Simmons' room. When she entered, the bio-chemist regarded her with confusion.

"Where's Fitz?" she asked.

"He got called on a mission. Asked me to look after you while he's gone." May replied as she set Jemma's tray on her lap and sat down in the chair next to the bed.

Jemma sighed and nodded in understanding.

"I see." she said, somewhat disappointedly.

The two women sat and ate in awkward silence for a minute before May finally spoke up.

"So I hear you've been making steady progress these past few days." she commented. Jemma scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"If, by progress, you mean moving from eighth grade math to high school math then, yes." she muttered, picking at the carrots on her tray.

May shrugged. "Progress is progress. Some might say that going from virtually brain-dead to high school math in a few days was quite an accomplishment." she offered.

"For someone else, maybe. But for someone who had two, um...two..."

Jemma sighed and closed her eyes, trying to keep herself from getting angry.

"I used to be able to do this in my sleep." She said sadly.

After a moment, Jemma felt May's hand on her shoulder, a gesture that both surprised and comforted her. She looked over at the field agent.

"You'll get there again, Simmons. Once you stop feeling sorry for yourself and start doing something about it." she said seriously.

Jemma looked away sheepishly. Well, after all, it was hard not to feel sorry for yourself after suffering severe brain trauma. But May did have a point. The longer she kept playing the victim, the longer she would be. She gave May a little half-smile.

"You're right. Thank you, May." she whispered.

**~*#*~**

**Well, I feel confident ending this first chapter on that note. ****J**** I will try to get chapter up by the 17****th**** but, no promises ^~^' After all, I still have quite a good deal of Christmas prep to get done. If you like what you've read, check out my other stories, favorite, follow, and review! I am taking prompts for one-shots as well as chapter stories so please PM me or post a prompt in the reviews! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: There is a medical procedure in this chapter! I do not claim to be a medical professional but I did the best I could with looking things up on the internet! If I got something wrong, I am sorry and, I assure you, I will do my best to fix it! Thank you for your patience and understanding! **

Fitz and Skye didn't return until early the next morning. The mission had been a bit tough. One of the escaped criminals from the Fridge had built a plasma ray large enough to take all of New England off the map for good. It had taken a few hours, while under fire, to dismantle and collect everything alien or Hydra-made from it. The pair was in rough shape but alive.

Fitz made his way to Jemma's hospital room first, to let her know that he was safe and sound. He opened the door but found an empty, pristinely made bed with a hospital gown neatly folded on top. Fitz stood frozen in the doorway. Where was she? Had something happened that they had to move her to a different room? As he panicked in his head, he heard someone come up behind him.

"Good-Morning, Fitz."

Fitz whipped around to see Jemma smiling at him. She was dressed in a sweater and jeans. Her hair was tied back. She held a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. She looked so much like her old self, Fitz felt like he could weep. He smirked and shook his head in disbelief.

"Good-Morning yourself." he said, still stunned.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I knew it. I died." he teased.

Jemma giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Fitz." she said in fake exasperation.

Fitz nodded and shrugged.

"See, there's more proof. You're acting like yourself again. That's it, I took a bullet in the brain and now I'm in my own little heaven." he sighed with an exaggerated sigh.

She snorted and shook her head.

"Well then, it won't hurt when I do this." she said before flicking him in the forehead.

Fitz winced and rubbed the spot.

"Ouch! Now was that really necessa-"

He was cut off by her lips suddenly pressed to his. He smiled against them and kissed back, looping an arm around her waist and pulling her in a bit closer. She reached up and draped her arms around his neck before breaking the kiss and smiling up at him.

"All better?" she asked.

He nodded and rested his head forehead on hers, gazing into her eyes.

"You always know just what to do, Dr. Simmons." he cooed softly.

Jemma smiled softly and put her hands on his shoulders. She started running her hands down his arms when she saw him wince. She pulled away and looked at him with concern.

"You're injured?' she asked.

He grimaced and nodded.

"Bullet grazed my shoulder. Not very bad, mostly superficial I think. Doesn't hurt unless I move." he said, turning to show her the wound.

She looked over it quickly and then grabbed his hand.

"Come on, let me have a look." she said as she led him into the hospital room.

She sat him down in the chair and tried to peel away the fabric of his shirt to get a better look. She shook here head.

"Here, let me take your shirt off." she said as she reached for the bottom hem.

Fitz allowed her to remove it, flinching when he had to lift his arms to remove the sleeves. Once the fabric was out of the way, Simmons inspected the injury closely, biting her lip at the sight of it.

"Well, it's a great deal more than super-…hang on, I've got this…superficial?"

Fitz smiled and nodded before frowning.

"What, you think I need stitches?" he asked, trying to turn his head to get a look.

Jemma nodded slowly.

"Well, you will…after we get the bullet out."

Fitz paled a bit.

"Bullet? There's a bullet in my arm?" he asked in a panicky voice.

Simmons nodded.

"Sit tight. I'll go get one of the other doctors. My hands aren't…um, stable? No, that's not quite right um…oh, it doesn't matter, I'll be right back!" she said as she went off.

Fitz tried hard to breath steadily, knowing that an increase in heart rate and blood flow would not help the situation any. He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing in and out slowly. After an eternity, Simmons brought one of the other doctors and a big medical bag in. The man came and looked at Fitz's shoulder.

"Okay, Dr. Simmons, lets clean this up a bit."

Jemma handed the man some Hydrogen peroxide and gauze and watched as he gently cleaned the excess blood from around the entry wound.

"Debakey forceps, and get a tray, some gauze and a suture ready."

Simmons did as she was told, handing him the forceps and preparing the needle and surgical thread.

"This will probably hurt a bit, Fitz. Just try not to move around too much." the doctor requested.

"Look away, Fitz." Jemma suggested, knowing his disdain for blood.

Fitz did as he was told, biting his lip and screwing his eyes shut as the man started digging for the projectile. It took a few moments before the man carefully extracted the metallic object and placed it on the tray Simmons held for him. The doctor cleaned the wound again and then started sewing it up.

"Well, Fitz, I think you're going to get to keep the arm." the doctor joked as he trimmed the last of the three stitches.

Fitz opened his eyes and looked at his arm before smiling at the doctor.

"That's it? That wasn't so bad.' he said in surprise.

Jemma rolled her eyes and patted Fitz's back.

"That's because you always make a big deal out of it in your head." she said as she ruffled his hair playfully.

**~*#*~**

"Those two look well on their way to back to normal."

Skye turned to see Coulson looking at the same thing she had been looking at. Fitz and Simmons back in the lab, working together again. Things were a little bumpier because Simmons had to keep pausing to pull the right word out of her head, but Fitz was amazingly patient with it. Skye gave a small smile.

"Yeah. It's almost like nothing ever happened to them." she said, a bit of sadness in her voice.

Because she knew that it wasn't true. Something major had happened. Simmons might get better, maybe she would even recover completely, but she would never be the same. Skye might have been the only one besides Fitz who could tell though. There was something missing. An inherent Simmons-ness that wasn't present in her anymore. Skye sighed.

"I could have killed him. Everything that's happened to them…I could have stopped it." she said sadly.

Coulson shook his head.

"That's not true, Skye. Even if you had let him die that day, Garrett would just have had someone else cross off Fitz-Simmons. And the other guy would have put a bullet between their eyes. True, what he did was…unforgivable. But they both survived and Simmons is getting better." he encouraged.

Skye clenched and unclenched her fists. Nobody had used his name since the day he had been apprehended, but just talking about him made her angry.

"I guess you're right. But that doesn't mean I forgive him. I will _never_ forgive him." she said bitterly.

She turned to Coulson.

"I want to make him hurt. May's already had her turn at him. She broke his larynx and put three nails in his foot. I want to up that ten fold." she said through her teeth.

Coulson put his hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes.

"I know you're upset. Don't think I don't want to see you do whatever you want to that son-of-a-bitch. But you need to keep your cool. If Fitz-Simmons finds out that he's here, just a few feet down, there's no telling how they will react. Simmons especially." he cautioned.

Skye took a deep breath and sighed.

"You're right. That would destroy them." she agreed.

She looked at the pair of scientists and shook her head.

"But the second he's not useful anymore, those two get avenged." she said darkly.

~*#*~

Fitz watched Simmons carefully all through the day, waiting for cues that she needed help. He was right there whenever she needed a pair of steady hands or couldn't find the right word. He tried his best not to baby her, but he couldn't help it. He hated to see her struggle and get frustrated with herself. Finally, the day was done and it was time to relax.

"Skye managed to download all of Doctor Who with the Second Doctor for us. Now we just need the Fourth and the Eleventh and we will collectively own every episode of Doctor Who ever made." Fitz reported as he and Simmons headed off to supper together.

Simmons bit her lip and clapped her hands together in excitement.

"Oh, excellent!" she said happily.

Fitz reached over and grabbed her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. She looked over at him, blushing slightly.

"Fitz, are you sure it's okay to do that?" she asked quietly.

Fitz shrugged.

"There's no rule that says two agents can't hold hands." he said innocently.

Jemma rolled her eyes but gave his hand a little squeeze. Truthfully, she didn't care much if anyone knew that she and Fitz were…well, not dating exactly….and calling themselves an "item" just sounded juvenile…well, whatever the term was, she couldn't see it being a problem. They worked best when they were together anyway.

But, when they rounded the corner and bumped right into Coulson, Simmons was quick to let got of Fitz's hand. Much as she thought it wouldn't be a problem, she didn't want to find out if it was. She smiled at the director.

"Good-Evening, Director Coulson." she tried to say casually.

Coulson smiled at Fitz-Simmons, not fooled for a second. He knew what had transpired between them but he didn't let on. He nodded at Simmons.

"Evening, Simmons. I was actually just on the way to get the two of you. I need everyone in the briefing room A.S.A.P."

Fitz-Simmons exchanged looks of confusion and surprise. Fitz looked at Coulson curiously.

"Sir, you're not planning on sending her out on a mission, are you?" he asked incredulously.

Coulson nodded.

"I am. She doesn't have to leave the Bus once we arrive but I need as many eyes and ears for this mission as I can get and she has some of the best." He confirmed.

Simmons swallowed nervously but nodded.

"I'll do my best, sir." she said apprehensively.

Coulson put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her with a reassuring smile.

"I wouldn't put you out there if I wasn't sure you could handle it, Simmons. Like I said, you don't even have to leave the Bus.' he assured her.

Jemma gave a smile and a small nod. Coulson patted her shoulder and went on his way.

"I've got to track down a few more people. See you both in the briefing room." he said as he left.

Fitz looked at Simmons nervously.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" he asked.

The last time she had been in the Bus…she hadn't been in it for long. Fitz didn't want the experience to bring back bad memories. But, after a quick look to make sure no one would see, Jemma gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled at him.

"I'll be fine, Fitz. He just wants me to help keep a look out for something." she reiterated.

Fitz smiled and grabbed her hand again.

"Alright then, back to work." he said, giving her hand a little squeeze.

With that, the two headed off to be briefed.

**~*#*~**

"This is going to be a simple exchange. I just want to make sure it goes off without a hitch. This guy is a double agent but he was allied with Hydra first. I don't entirely trust him. That's why I want all eyes open from start to finish." Coulson instructed.

He pointed to a satellite image of a rooftop on the holotable.

"The quinjet will be parked here. I want the Bus circling the perimeter no more than a half mile out. Skye, May, and Bobbie, You guys are going to be our ground team. Fitz-Simmons, Tripp, Hunter, and I will be the Bus team. The rest of you were given your own individual stations earlier today. Nobody breaks formation until I give the word, understood?"

There was a chorus of agreement and Coulson nodded.

"Alright then. Wheels up in ten. Everyone stay safe." he instructed.

Skye came over to Simmons, smiling but clearly worried.

"Your first mission back with us. You nervous?" she asked.

Simmons smiled and shook her head.

"Coulson knows what he's doing." she said confidently.

Skye gave a little chuckle and shook her head.

"Alright. Let it never be said that Jemma Simmons ever backed down." she said, giving her friend a pat on the back before going with Bobbie and May to the quinjet.

Fitz held his hand out to Jemma.

"Ready?' he asked with a smile.

Jemma nodded and took his hand, allowing him to lead her to the hanger. She felt a wave of apprehension as she came up to the Bus. She squeezed Fitz's hand and he squeezed back. Everything was going to be okay. Fitz was here. Coulson was here. Nothing was going to happen to her this time.

**Well, I finished this a heck of a lot faster than I thought I would O_O It kind of wrote itself, this chapter. Next chapter will, of course, detail the mission. I might have included it in this one except I have plans for it *evil grin* Please follow, favorite, review! Still accpeting prompts (probably will be forever :P ) so if you like what you see or you don't see what you like, PM me or prompt in the reviews! As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! **


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you sure this will work?" Skye asked over comms.

"Yes." Fitz replied as he guided Sleepy into place next to Skye on the roof. "I've miniaturized the cloaking technology from the quinjets and the Bus. Once I activate it, you won't be able to see or hear Sleepy and neither will he."

Skye looked at the little drone flying next to her and smirked.

"Have I ever told you how cute it is that you and Simmons named these things after the seven dwarfs?" she said, shaking her head.

Fitz smiled.

"Well, it was mostly Simmons' idea. Snow White was her favorite movie as a child. I just decided to name them based on their specific abilities." he explained.

"Sleepy's the listener. Sneezy's the sniffer. Doc's the biological analyst. Bashful's the technology scanner. Grumpy measures temperature. Dopey monitors brain waves. Happy has x-ray. And Snow watches heart rates." Simmons expanded.

Fitz-Simmons exchanged smiles and Skye chuckled.

"Okay, that is awesome on so many levels!" she praised.

"Kids, can we focus please?" May scolded.

"Sorry mom." Skye said sheepishly.

"Alright, Sleepy, time for you to disappear." Fitz said as turned on the cloaking.

Skye whistled in surprise.

"Damn, Fitz, good job with that cloaking!" she exclaimed.

"Our guy's on his way up. Business time, Skye." Coulson warned.

Skye cleared her throat and donned "serious face".

"Right, sorry Coulson." she said seriously.

After a few moments, a man appeared at the top of the stairwell. He smiled at Skye and made his way across the rooftop toward her.

"Alright everyone, eyes peeled. We can't afford to miss anything." Coulson reminded the group.

Fitz-Simmons watched through Sleepy's camera as the man came up to Skye.

"Good day to you, my friend." he said in a thick Russian accent.

Skye nodded in acknowledgement.

"Vladimir Gershwin? Pretty generic Russian name, don't you think?" she said with her usual cheek.

Vlad chuckled.

"True as that is, no one has yet to question it." he said with a shrug.

He dug in his jacket pocket and pulled out a large yellow envelope.

"I must confess, I am disappointed that Coulson did not want to meet me here himself." he commented.

Skye shrugged.

"Something came up last minute. He sends his regards, by the way." she said as she reached back and pulled a similar envelope out of her back pocket.

She held it up and smirked.

"Well, his regards and a little bit more." she said with a wink.

The two carefully extended their envelopes to one another, each watching the other one closely. Both parties carefully grabbed their respective parcels and drew back slowly.

"It is all in here?" Vladimir said cautiously.

Skye nodded.

"You can open it up right here if you want." she confirmed.

Vladimir nodded and tucked the new envelope into the pocket where the old one had been. Skye Spoke up as he turned to leave.

"The info you gave me is good, right?" she questioned.

Vladimir smiled and nodded.

"Of course." he said sweetly.

"Slight variation in tone, pupils di- di-…Ugh, Fitz? "

"Dilated. "

"Right, dilated, and his core temperature increased slightly. Skye, he's lying. Stall him and, whatever you do, do not open that envelope." Jemma warned over the comms.

Skye glanced at Vladimir incredulously.

"You're not hiding something from me, are you Vlad?" she asked suspiciously.

Vlad swallowed nervously but managed to maintain his smile.

"I gave you exactly what Coulson asked for." he insisted.

Skye shrugged and held up the envelope.

"Then you won't mind if I open this?" she asked.

Simmons could see the man take in a deep breath, as if bracing for something.

"Not at all." he replied.

But, as Skye went to open the envelope, all hell broke loose. Vladimir lunged for her with a panicked cry. Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D agents alike broke their cover and started engaging one another in a firefight. The team on the Bus watched as the chaos ensued. Coulson gave the order to retreat and had Hunter bring the bus in closer to rescue any agents that they could reach. Fitz lowered the cargo hold door, which caused the cloaking to deactivate. That's when Simmons saw it. A man with an RPG posted at the highest point on the roof. She barely had time to tell Fitz to get down before the rocket his one of the Bus' main engine turbines. Alarms blared as the aircraft started to fall out of the sky. Fitz-Simmons held onto one another tightly. Hunter managed to guide the Bus into a controlled crash landing but that was only half the battle. With no way of getting airborne and the cargo door wide open, they were sitting ducks. And a squad of Hydra super soldiers was on its way toward them. Coulson gathered Tripp and Hunter and made for the cargo door.

"Fitz-Simmons! Take a couple of Icers and barricade yourself into the lab! Do not come out until I come get you! That's an order!" he called as ran out.

Fitz closed and locked the lab doors and started piling everything he could in front of them.

"Alright, this is going to be fine. The glass is bulletproof and shatter resistant. We're going to be fine." he said, partly to reassure himself.

He looked to see where Simmons was. She was sitting in the corner of the room, legs pulled tight to her chest, shaking like a leaf. Fitz went over and sat down next to her, putting his arms around her and holding her close.

"We're going to be fine, Jemma." he cooed, stroking her hair comfortingly.

Simmons nodded and drew closer to Fitz. Yes, they were going to be fine.

The minutes dragged on. Fitz-Simmons could hear the fighting going on outside the Bus. They stayed locked in one another's arms, Fitz trying to keep himself and Jemma calm. After a few minutes, they could see a few people heading up the cargo ramp. Nobody the recognized. Fitz grabbed one of the Icers and stood up in front of Simmons. No way was he going to let Hydra touch her. The men approached the lab, guns raised. They looked in and laughed when they saw the two scientists huddled in the corner. Fitz was trying to give his best brave-in-the-face-of-danger face but he was terrified. Where was Coulson? Bobbie? May? Skye? Even Tripp or Hunter would be a welcome sight here now.

Fitz watched as one of the Hydra agents took a small device out of his pocket and attached it to the lab door before he and his team fell back a ways. He threw himself over Simmons to shield her as the charge went off. The doors were open now and the barricade would barely slow the men down. Fitz prepared himself, pointing the Icers toward their assailants. The smoke cleared and the Hydra agents sauntered in, cocky and menacing. Fitz fired off a few rounds, managing to down one of their men before another swatted the gun out of his hands and punched him in the face. Fitz fell to the ground and Simmons scrambled over to him.

"Fitz!" she cried.

She cupped his cheek as he blinked the world back into focus. His nose was bleeding but, other than that, he looked all right.

"We've got two S.H.I.E.L.D eggheads here, sir. Do you want us to bring them in or cross them off?" one of the men asked into a radio.

Fitz tried to get up. He couldn't let this happen. Nothing was going to happen to Jemma if he had anything to say about it. He grabbed a sharp piece of debris from the blast and drove it into the calf of the man who had punched him. The man cried out and turned on him angrily.

"Jemma, run!' Fitz yelled before the man punched him in the gut.

"No, Fitz!" she cried.

She threw herself at Fitz's attacker, doing anything she could to prevent him from striking him again. The man with the radio smirked.

"They are not very compliant." he said.

Simmons heard a shot go off and saw Fitz drop to the ground. There was no blood. An Icer round. They were here to capture, not kill. Jemma had only a split second to process the thought before everything went dark.

**~*#*~**

Fitz woke to a bucket of cold water in his face. He gasped and sputtered, looking around frantically. He was in a small room, his hand tied behind his back to the chair he was sitting in. There was a single light bulb in the room that cast light on a single, dark figure. Fitz recognized him as part of the team that captured him and Simmons. Fitz's eyes widened. Simmons! He didn't see her! Had she been captured too? Where was she, what were they doing to her?

"Well, Mr. Fitz, my boss seems to think you're valuable enough to have around." the man said as he approached Fitz.

He bent down and got right in Fitz's face.

"The problem is, you and your little girlfriend aren't very cooperative. So what's it going to take to get you on our side?" he said threateningly.

Fitz took a deep, shaky breath.

"I'll die before I work for Hydra." he said angrily.

The man smirked and chuckled.

"We figured you'd say that." he said darkly.

There was a loud clang and the wall in front of Fitz drew up into the ceiling, revealing something that made Fitz pale. It was Simmons, her arms and legs strapped to some sort of contraption and her head was in a brace that kept her looking straight ahead. Straight ahead of her was a TV screen looping colorful, psychedelic looking images.

"Jemma!" Fitz called desperately.

The man snorted and shook his head.

"Mary Poppins can't hear you, lover-boy. She's being reprogrammed. All she can hear is what goes in through those ear buds." he explained.

Fitz looked at Simmons, a worried expression on his face.

"Jemma, snap out of it!" he cried desperately. "Jemma, please! Don't let them do this, you can fight it!"

Tears involuntarily slipped down Fitz's cheeks and he looked down to hide them. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening! Just when things were getting back to normal, something like this goes and happens? It wasn't fair!

"What are you doing to her?" he hissed angrily.

The man shrugged.

"Honestly, I have no idea. This is only the second time I've seen it but I've seen enough to know that it works. Very well. If we want, we can tell her she's now a monkey and she'll hop around here like a freaking chimp looking for bananas. The point is, we own her. " he explained.

He leveled his eyes at Fitz.

"Now's the part where you make a choice. Simmons belongs to us. You can follow her willingly or we can put you in that clever little contraption. We would do that now but we find that the process dampens the individual's free will and makes it harder for them to think for themselves. Since that's what we need you to do, we'd like to avoid that." he said seriously.

Fitz thought, long and hard. There must be a way to get Jemma back. Even Coulson, who'd had his memories electronically replaced, had managed to find the truth eventually. Maybe he could pull her out of it. After he did, he'd figure out a way to get them both out. Fitz looked up at the Hydra agent.

"You win. You have Simmons. I go where she does. Well…well played." he said, defeated.

The man smiled and chuckled.

"Man has she got your ass whipped." he laughed.

He went behind Fitz and cut his ties.

"We'll get you two a nice apartment somewhere near one of our labs. A little love nest for you to spend the rest of your lives in and all you have to do is help out whenever we call on you. How does that sound?" he teased lightly.

Fitz rubbed his wrist and looked at Jemma.

"When can I talk to her?" he asked.

"A few more minutes and she's going to take a nice, long nap. After that, she's all yours." he replied.

Fitz nodded, looking away.

"Well then I'll need to wash up. Don't want to give a bad impression first time she sees me." he said, forcing a smile.

The man patted him on the back and extended his hand.

"Name's Hector. I'll hook you up with whatever you need." he said with a smile.

Fitz shook his hand.

"Leo. Leopold Fitz. But most people just call me Fitz because…well, I like it better. It sounds cooler than Leopold." he said with a smirk.

Hector laughed.

"I knew I liked you, Fitz. Ever since you speared Braden in the leg back there." he said as he motioned Fitz to follow him.

Fitz took one last glance back at Jemma.

_I'm not going to give up on you, love. No matter how long it takes, I will get you back._

**And thus concludes another chapter! Thank you all for being patient with me and I'm well aware that some of you might hate my guts for what happened in this chapter. But, don't worry! I have a plan! Please review, favorite, follow, etc! If you like what you see and want to see something new, PM me or post a prompt in the reviews! Thanks again!**


	4. Chapter 4

24 hours had passed. No sign of Fitz-Simmons. Skye, Coulson, May. Everyone had been searching. The Bus was up and running again and the whole team, was piled on and scouring the globe for the missing scientists. Skye was scanning every known electronic frequency that could be traced.

"Come on, Fitz-Simmons. Where are you?" she whispered.

She sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. The battle with Hydra had been hard enough. But when the smoke cleared and Fitz-Simmons were nowhere to be found, Skye felt like she had been beaten to a pulp. It was bad enough that Fitz had been taken but Simmons…she was still recovering. Who knew what Hydra was doing to her or if she was even still alive. Skye slammed her fist down on table in frustration.

"I shouldn't have her on a mission so soon."

Skye looked up and saw Coulson, looking as if he had just been to a funeral. He looked at her hopefully.

"Any luck?" he asked.

Skye shook her head.

"But I'm not going to stop. Not until we find them." she swore.

Coulson gave a sad smile.

"You look tired. I'll make you some coffee." he said, patting her on the shoulder.

He started to walk away but stopped, glancing back at her over his shoulder.

"You know, it couldn't hurt to ask him if there's any place he knows of where Hydra might take them." he suggested.

Skye growled and ran her fingers through her hair, shaking her head.

"We don't need his help. I'll find them." she insisted.

Coulson nodded in understanding.

"Got it. Last resort. I'll make you that coffee."

Skye thanked him and went back to her search.

"Hang in there guys, we're coming for you."

**~*#*~**

Fitz groaned and rolled over in bed. He knew it was morning, but he did not feel like getting up. He opened his eyes a sliver and looked at the clock. 9:30. He groaned again.

"Fitz! I know you're up, I can hear you. If you think I'm going to let you fall back to sleep while we have work to do, you've got another thing coming."

Fitz opened his eyes all the way. Jemma. He sat up and looked around, confused for a moment. Then he remembered. He and Jemma had been captured by Hydra. She'd been brainwashed and he'd signed on voluntarily to try to get her back. Hydra had set them up in an apartment just a few minutes away from one of their main laboratories and was expecting them to develop new technology and weaponry for them. Fitz sighed and rubbed his head.

"So it beings." he muttered to himself.

"I'll be right out, Jem." he called.

Fitz dragged himself out of bed and threw on a robe. He went out of the bedroom and smiled. Well, he had to give it to Hydra; they knew how to keep people around. The apartment was obviously new. Spacious main room, two bedrooms with separate bathrooms, open concept kitchen and living room. Even a loft complete with a big-screen, high-definition television. If they weren't an insanely evil agency bent on taking over the world, Fitz felt like he could get used to working for them.

Jemma was in the kitchen, making something that smelled delicious. When she saw Fitz, she smiled.

"Well good-morning there, sleepy-head." she greeted him.

Fitz smiled and walked over to the kitchen.

"How long have you been up?" he asked.

Jemma shrugged and poured a cup of coffee.

"Only an hour or so." she replied.

She picked up two loaded plates from the counter and put them down on the wrap around bar.

"I made all your favorites. Ham, eggs, and an orange sliced in thirds." she said proudly.

Fitz looked at the magnificent breakfast feast. Now this, he would be perfectly alright with getting used to. He smiled and shook his head.

"What's the occasion?" he asked as he sat down.

Simmons smiled happily, as she dug two forks and two knives out of a drawer.

"Well, today's our first day at a new lab. We both need plenty of energy to keep our brains sharp. You never know what discoveries there are to be made or what new research opportunities will present themselves." she explained.

Fitz felt his stomach knot. That was the part he dreaded the most. Working for Hydra. Inventing things for them that could be used against their friends. He forced himself to smile.

"Yeah, lots of great opportunities." he said before digging in.

He hummed in approval.

"God, I never knew you were such a good cook." he said with his mouth full.

Simmons giggled and shrugged.

"My mum taught me a long time ago. I just haven't had the time to work on it." she explained.

Fitz nodded in understanding. He looked at her with concern. She was acting perfectly normal but Fitz knew she wasn't the same. Did she even remember her time in S.H.I.E.L.D? Or did she now think of S.H.I.E.L.D as the enemy? Fitz had to find out.

"Do you think we made the right choice? Working for Hydra, I mean?" he asked carefully.

Jemma looked at Fitz in confusion and nodded.

"Of course I do, Fitz. Hydra is offering us something that S.H.I.E.L.D never could: freedom. Now we can research and develop without having to check with an S.O.s or a director. No red tape." she insisted.

Fitz sighed and gave a small smile.

"I guess you're right. I suppose I just feel a little bad about leaving Skye and Coulson and them." he suggested.

Maybe mentioning the others could trigger something in her. He watched her to gauge her reaction. She seemed to think about it for a moment. Then she sighed and shook her head.

"We can't worry about that, Fitz. We have to do what's right for us." she said sadly.

Fitz nodded, looking down at his plate. He felt Simmons's hand on his cheek and looked up to see her looking at him with distress. He searched her eyes for any sign that the old Simmons was still there. She gave him a sad smile before kissing him gently. Fitz closed his eyes, fighting tears. His heart was torn. Jemma was safe here. She was happy. And she still loved him. There was no need for her to ever be put in harm's way again because Hydra would want her to spend every moment in the lab. But Hydra would use anything they invented or discovered against his good friends. What if one of them created something that was used to injure or kill one of the people they once held dear? He broke the kiss and looked at Jemma pleading.

"I'm trying, Jemma. I really am. I just…I want you to be happy." he whispered.

She gave him another quick, gentle kiss.

"I am, Fitz." she murmured.

He gave a half smile and sighed.

"Then I suppose that's all that matters." he concluded.

**~*#*~**

Skye slammed her laptop shut and buried her head in her hands. Another dead end. All of her hours of work had not turned up with a single lead as to where Fitz-Simmons were and they had returned to the Playground empty-handed. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling in dismay. She knew her next step but she dreaded taking. Going down to that small, windowless room with that scumbag was the last thing she wanted to do. But this was Fitz-Simmons and they were in danger. If he knew anything at all that might help them find her friends, it was worth her discomfort. So, she got up and headed down to the secret room.

When he saw Skye come in, Ward stood up and moved to the very edge of his enclosure. The happiness in his eyes bugged the hell out of Skye and she rolled her eyes. She went and sat down in her chair.

"It's good to see you, Skye." Ward said with a smile.

"Shove it up your ass, Ward. I'm here because there's a remote chance that you might know something that could save Fitz-Simmons." she snapped.

Ward looked at her with confusion.

"What happened to them? I thought Simmons was still unresponsive." he questioned.

Skye smirked.

"Oh yeah. I forgot you don't get any updates in your little rat hole." she jeered. "Simmons has been up and running for a little over a week now. She was doing so well that Coulson decided to put her back in the field."

"I take it something went wrong?" Ward guessed.

Skye took a deep breath to keep herself calm.

"They've been captured. I can't figure out where they were taken. Any suggestions as to where to start?"

Ward sat down on his cot and sighed.

"Well, if they took them alive we can probably assume they want them to work in research and development. I can give you a couple lab locations." he replied.

Skye nodded.

"That would be helpful." she said with a little less bite.

Ward gave her the locations and she typed them into her tablet.

"Anything else that might be useful?" she asked.

Ward nodded, his face now grim.

"I know that Fitz-Simmons would never willingly serve Hydra. But Hydra has a way to make them. Its a sort of brainwashing machine. If Hydra uses it on Fitz-Simmons, they may be beyond rescue." he warned her.

Skye looked at him with confusion.

"Wait, you mean brainwashing actually exists?" she asked, incredulously.

Ward nodded steadily.

"And it's powerful. They might not be Fitz-Simmons anymore by the time you reach them. I would start preparing yourself for the worst." he stated.

Skye turned her back on him to hide her look of fear and concern.

"Well then I'll just have to find them quickly." she said, determined.

**~*#*~**

"That looks like quite the sandwich, Fitz." Hector said as he sat down next to the engineer in the break room.

Fitz smiled and held up the culinary masterpiece triumphantly.

"Prosciutto and Buffalo Mozzarella with just the perfect amount of homemade pesto aioli." he said with a happy sigh. "The best goddamn sandwich ever made."

Hector chuckled and shook his head.

"Looks like a thing of beauty. Simmons made it for you?" Hector inquired.

Fitz nodded as he tried to decide which end of his gastronomical work of art to start on.

"She's a gem. Which, I guess makes sense since that's what her name means." he said before taking a big bite.

He hummed in satisfaction.

"So much better than I remember." he said happily.

Hector smiled and shook his head.

"So I take it you two have pretty much settled in?" he asked as he unpacked his own, sub-standard lunch.

Fitz nodded as he chewed his second bite.

"Beautiful view of the city, fully refurbished and spacious apartment, rent and utilities covered. It's paradise." he said happily.

Hector whistled.

"All that and a beautiful woman to share it with. You're a lucky man, Fitz. All I've got is a condo on the south side with a view of the metro and a stray cat to keep me company." he said somewhat jealously.

Fitz chuckled and smirked.

"The perks of being in high-demand." he teased.

The men sat in silence for the rest of their lunch hour, mostly because they were both busy eating. After he had finished his sandwich, Fitz looked at Hector curiously.

"Why did you join up with Hydra?" he asked.

Hector shrugged.

"I was in the Marines. Got dishonorably discharged to cover some higher-ranking officer's ass. Wound up in prison. They got me out." he said simply.

Fitz nodded in understanding.

"So, you're not really a true believer or whatever?" he asked.

Hector shook his head and took one last swig of Corona.

"Not really. To be honest, there's not many people I've met that are. I think most of the hardcore Hydra followers are up at the top." he explained.

Well that was pretty encouraging. And also a bit sad. That meant that the majority of Hydra members were convinced, coerced, or brainwashed. The thought made Fitz almost feel sorry for them. S.H.I.E.L.D nowadays was made up of only the most dedicated group of people, with very few exceptions. They were more a family than ever. Fitz sighed and started clearing his place.

"Well, I should really get back to work." he said.

Hector nodded and crumpled up the wrapping from his deli sandwich.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea. Working on anything exciting today?"

_Getting myself and Simmons out of here, _Fitz thought. But he shook his head.

"Nah, not really. They mostly have me working on improving things they already have." he explained.

What he really wanted to work on was that hypnosis machine. Maybe it could give him a clue to how to reverse the effects. But he would have to work up a bit of trust first. If he asked about it too quickly, they might get suspicious. He had to play his cards right, befriend the right people and convince them that he was all for the cause. Meanwhile convincing himself that he really needed to get back to S.H.I.E.L.D. because, as the days went by, he was starting to forget why that was so important.

**Can I get a "Woot Woot!" for the return of Fitz's sammich?! XD thank you guys so much for your reviews and your continuing support! I'm going to try and post every other day until Christmas because I'm not sure how much I'll be able to post during the holiday season (Christmas - New Years day). Please continue to review, favorite, and follow! Thanks again for reading! Stay tuned!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Chicago!" Skye insisted, "It's got to be Chicago, I mean, think about it! It's only a couple of hours from where they disappeared, there's a known Hydra lab just outside of city limits and even Cybertech had. Coulson, this is where Fitz-Simmons is for sure."

Coulson looked at the data Skye had collected and shook his head slowly.

"It just works out too well, Skye. Everything wraps up too nicely." he said apprehensively.

Skye shrugged.

"So, getting there is easy, there's no grantee that getting in and getting them out will be." she reasoned.

She looked at Coulson seriously.

"If what Ward said is true…if Hydra really does have a device that can brainwash people, we may already be too late. We could show up to find perfectly content Fitz-Simmons or hyper-Hydra Nazi versions of them. No matter how hard or easy it is, we owe it to them to try." she pleaded desperately.

Coulson looked at the fear and determination in Skye's eyes. She had been very single minded the past few days. She refused to go on any missions that didn't involve looking for Fitz-Simmons. She had been pouring over all the information she could gather: news reports, business transactions, real-estate ventures, recent scientific discoveries. Anything that could point to their missing scientists. He sighed tiredly but gave her a small smile.

"Alright. Assemble a team and get over there but tread carefully. If you go in, guns blazing, to the wrong facility you may find yourself in over your head. In fact, take May with you. She'll be a great help in the mission and in keeping you under control."

Skye smiled and nodded. That was fair. She was going to ask May anyway. The girl could kick ass.

"Thank you, A.C." she said before turning to leave.

"Hey, Skye." Coulson called.

She turned at the door and looked back at him. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Bring them home." he said softly.

Skye smiled and nodded.

"Yes sir, Mr. Director." she said with a fake salute.

**~*#*~**

Jemma came into the apartment and sighed happily. She tossed her purse and coat down on the kitchen counter and went into the living room to plop down on the couch. She'd had a wonderful day. So many new people all with unique and original ideas and all with the same intense curiosity as she had. She had just spent the day bouncing ideas around and experimenting with different compounds. Productive goofing off, she called it. Fitz opened the door and Jemma looked up and smiled at him.

"Evening, Fitz!" she said cheerfully.

She got up off the couch and hop-skipped over to greet him. Fitz smiled as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him happily. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close for a long, glorious minute before she broke the kiss and smiled at him giddily.

"Did you have a fantastic first day?" she asked.

Fitz smiled and shrugged.

"Eh, it was alright. No new projects so far, just improving old ones." he reported.

Jemma pouted playfully.

"Oh, you're not getting bored already, are you?" she asked.

Fitz chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"I'm happy." he replied.

Simmons smiled and kissed his cheek before disentangling herself from his grasp.

"I heard of a nice pub down the street. Want to get all gussied up and check it out?" she offered as she grabbed her purse and coat off the counter and hung them up in the hall closet.

Fitz thought about tit for a moment. It wouldn't hurt to unwind a little bit.

"Sure, sounds like fun." he said with a shrug.

Jemma smiled brightly and clapped her hands together in delight.

"Excellent! It's a date!" she said as she skipped off to her room.

Fitz swallowed nervously. Date. Well, what else would you call two people who were attracted to one another going out together? But the word made him nervous. This could be the end of the way things were and the beginning of something new. Fitz didn't often like change but…maybe this could be a good one. There was no protocol in place with Hydra that said the two of them couldn't have a relationship. Hell, they could get married and Hydra wouldn't care. But that was getting a little carried away. This "date" would be the proving ground for that. His chance to get out of the friend-zone one and for all. Fitz sucked in a deep breath and smiled confidently.

"A date it is." he murmured to himself.

**~*#*~**

"Here! A brand-new apartment was just sold after only two days on the market. The buyer paid the full asking price, in cash. And it's only ten minutes from the Hydra lab." Skye said excitedly.

May looked over the younger girl's shoulder at the real-estate documents she had pulled up on the screen. She shrugged and shook her head.

"Skye, we don't know if they even put Fitz-Simmons up in an apartment. For all we know, they're in a metal box in the basement of the facility." May pointed out calmly.

Skye cringed at the thought and shook her head.

"I don't want to believe that. These people want Fitz-Simmons to work for them; they're never going to get that with force. Their best bets are brainwashing and bribery and neither option would work if they treated Fitz-Simmons like prisoners." she insisted.

May thought about it for a moment and then looked at Skye seriously.

"I'll go in and do some recon. If I find anything promising, I'll call you in." she agreed.

Skye smirked.

"Just admit that you miss them." she goaded.

May ignored her and left to prepare. Skye looked at the real estate listening again, a frown forming on her face as she remembered Ward's words.

_They might not be Fitz-Simmons anymore by the time you reach them. _

Skye felt a knot forming in her stomach. She prayed that it wasn't the case. If Fitz-Simmons had been brainwashed, there might not be much hope of bringing them back.

"Hang in there guys." she prayed quietly.

**~*#*~**

Fitz and Simmons hit the town, dressed to-the-nines. She wore a spaghetti-strap, knee-length dress with a simple black-and-white flower pattern; black flats; and a simple string of pearls with earrings to match. She wore her hair down and had curled it a bit which Fitz found very alluring. He had on a blue dress shirt, which he kept untucked with the first three buttons undone and black slacks. He had combed his hair but it was already starting to curl again. They made quite the dashing pair, walking down the street with their arms linked. Jemma smiled up at Fitz.

"When was the last time we spent a night out? Can you even think of a time?" she asked.

Fitz thought for a minute then snapped his fingers.

"At the Academy, the day we graduated I took you out to dinner to celebrate." he remembered.

Simmons seemed a bit uncomfortable at the mention of S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. Fitz grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"It's been far too long, is my point." he said softly.

Jemma smiled and entwined her fingers with his.

"Far too long." she agreed.

The coupled walked into the pub and sat down at a small table in the corner. Fitz pulled Jemma's chair out for her and pushing it back after she sat down.

"Any requests?" he asked.

Jemma shrugged.

"Something locally brewed, perhaps?" she suggested.

Fitz nodded and went up to the bar. He came back with two glasses and set one in front of Jemma before he sat down and took a sip of his own. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad." he complimented.

Simmons took a drink from her glass and hummed in appreciation.

"Not bad at all." she agreed.

They talked and laughed for hours. It felt nice. I felt like they could almost be just a normal couple. As if they might date for a year or so then Fitz would get his courage up and ask Jemma to marry him. Then she would say yes and they'd have a nice little wedding with their friends and family. Maybe they would even have kids someday. The thought made Fitz sad. Because he knew that could never happen for them. They weren't just your average, everyday couple. They were Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D who had been coerced into working for the enemy organization of Hydra. Who was not just an enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D but also an enemy of the free world. Simmons didn't remember that anymore though. She'd been reprogrammed. All of the evil she had seen from Hydra had been wiped clean out of her brain and replaced with lies. Fitz needed to correct that. He knew it would be painful and unpleasant. It might not even work. But he had to try.

Jemma seemed to notice that Fitz's mind was somewhere else because she frowned and looked at him questioningly.

"Fitz, is something wrong?" she asked.

Fitz smiled across the table at her. God, she was gorgeous. The most beautiful woman he'd ever known. Inside and out. He put his hand on the table, reaching out for hers. When she put her hand in his, he closed his fingers around hers gently. He looked at her earnestly. Maybe staying in Hydra was the easiest thing for them but Fitz knew better. This organization was evil. They were trying to take over the world. And Fitz wasn't going to just sit back while the woman he loved unashamedly put forth her best effort to help them accomplish that. He would never forgive himself. So, he took a deep breath and went for it.

"Jemma, these past few days have been…God, incredible. Working for Hydra has been so much better than I ever could have imagined.."

He paused and looked down at the table for a moment. This part was going to be rough. He looked back up at Jemma pleadingly.

"But we have to leave, Jemma. These people are murderers and thieves and liars. Countless thousands of people have suffered because of them." he said, tears starting to burn his eyes.

"Deep down you know that too, Jemma, I know you do but they made you forget." he insisted.

Jemma went to draw her hand away but Fitz grasped it tightly. He stared hard into her eyes, begging her silently.

"You may not believe me but it's true. Please, Jemma, you have to remember." he begged.

Jemma's lip quivered and tears rimmed her eyes.

"Fitz, you're scaring me. I don't know what you're talking about." she said, her voice breaking.

Fitz shook his head fiercely.

"You do know, love. You do. You just have to dig deep, I know you can. If anyone's strong enough to beat them, it's you Jemma. You fought your way out of a nine day coma, for God's sake!" he urged.

Something clicked in Jemma's mind, Fitz could see it. Her mouth hung open a bit and she furrowed her brow in thought. Fitz went on, encouraged.

"You beat that Chitauri virus too. Only two hours to come up with an antiserum and you pulled it off at the last possible moment."

Jemma blinked.

"Antiserum." she mumbled.

She looked at Fitz as if asking him to continue, so he did.

"And you saved Skye's life, Jemma. When Ian Quinn shot her. You were the one who had us put her in the hyperbolic camber that bought us enough time to get her to the hospital. And you stayed by her side and kept her going while we searched for the GH-325."

Fitz could see her sorting through things in her head. He couldn't imagine how hard this was for her. What it was like to be told things about yourself that you didn't remember and come to realize that they're true.

"Victoria Hand pretended to be Hydra once. You told me that. You said she tested you and Tripp by saying that she was Hydra. She gave you an ultimatum to join Hydra or die and you chose death. You became one of only seven people that she trusted on that day, that's how strong you are, Jemma. That's how I know you can beat this."

Jemma looked at Fitz, clearly distressed. Tears rolled down her cheeks now.

"What happened to me, Fitz?" she whispered.

Fitz cupped her tearstained cheek and looked into her eyes, happy tears forming in his own.

"I'm not sure, love. But you're beating it." he encouraged.

Fitz stood up and tossed a few bills on the table.

"Come on. Let's go back to the apartment and sort this out." he said, offering her is hand.

Jemma took it and allowed Fitz to pull her close and put his arm around her. She was scared and confused but being with Fitz comforted her. He was the most steadfast thing in her life. The thing held her together. If everything she ever knew turned out to be a lie, she knew she could trust him to tell her the truth.

Silently, the two scientists made their way back to the apartment. Fitz unlocked the door, turned on the lights and guided Jemma inside, sitting her down on the couch.

"I'll make you some tea." he said as he went off to the kitchen.

But he saw something, leaning against the counter, which stopped him in his tracks. Something completely unexpected but comforting and familiar.

"May?"

**~*#*~**

**Cliffhanger: Troll Level 5 ^_^ I decided to surprise you (and myself) by completing this chapter in one day! Please review, follow and favorite! I would like to finish this before 2015 but we will see how it goes: P Thank you again for your continued support!**


	6. Chapter 6

May held her legendary stone cold expression as she pushed off the counter and strode toward Fitz.

"You remember me. That's a good sign." she said calmly.

She grabbed an Icer from her holster and leveled it at Fitz.

"Now here's the million-dollar question: Friend or Foe?" she asked.

Fitz looked her in the eyes.

"Friend, May. I'm still your friend." he said slowly.

May nodded and pointed the gun at Simmons.

"What about you, Simmons? You still like me?" she asked.

Jemma struggled for a moment, going back and forth in her head. After a few moments, she shrugged hopelessly.

"I'm not sure." she said finally.

May pulled the trigger and Simmons fell limp on the couch. Fitz looked at May in shock.

"What the hell?" he questioned as he went to Simmons' side.

May holstered her weapon again and went back into the kitchen.

"Relax, Fitz. It's just a precaution. If some sort of Hypnosis technique is at play here, Hydra might be able to flip a switch and turn Simmons into a fighter. I don't want to have to fight her. It wouldn't be pleasant for anyone." she said as she went to the fridge and grabbed two bottles of water.

Fitz gently laid Simmons down on the couch and put a pillow under her head.

"Delicacy isn't really your strong suit, is it?" he mumbled.

May came over and handed Fitz one of the bottles.

"Mind filling me in?" she asked bluntly.

Fitz sighed and nodded, indicating to a chair.

"Might want to get comfortable." he suggested.

May sat down and Fitz detailed what had happened to him and Simmons since the skirmish with Hydra. May took it in, nodding periodically. After Fitz was done, May processed her thoughts for a minute.

"You said there was a machine?"

Fitz nodded.

"Yeah. But it looked more like a restraint than anything. There was a screen in front of her and she had ear buds in so I assume it a combination of audio and visual suggestion." he explained.

May nodded and thought for a minute.

"Do you think you could reverse engineer it?" she asked.

Fitz shrugged and shook his head.

"Maybe, but I'd need specs and a lot of help from Simmons." he replied.

"How do we go about getting specs?"

"Well, there are two quick but dangerous ways and one safe but very slow way." Fitz started.

"What are the quick ways?" May pressed.

"Well, if we get Skye to the lab's main computer so she can hack it we might be able to find the original designs. Or, if I had the Dwarfs, we could try to find the actual machine so I could scan it and compound the data to create a 3d rendering." he continued.

May nodded.

"And the long way?"

Fitz took a deep breath and sighed.

"Simmons and I continue to work at Hydra until I can gain their trust and gain access to the blueprints." he said grimly.

"I take it you're not overly fond of that idea?" May guessed

Fitz shook his head.

"Not that the job's hard. I've actually enjoyed working there so far. And they set us up in this great apartment. But I can't keep it up, knowing what they've done." he explained.

May nodded in understanding. She sighed and stood up.

"Skye's standing by. Let's give option 1 a try." she suggested.

Fitz nodded, a little smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"That sounds good." he agreed.

Skye would be a welcome face after all that had happened. Maybe she would even be able to help jog Simmons' real memories. It was worth a shot anyway. Fitz crouched down beside Jemma's unconscious form and stroked her hair gently.

"We're going to get you back yet, Jemma. I promise." he whispered.

It took a few minutes for Skye to get to the apartment. By the time she arrived, the effect of the dendrotoxin in Simmons was wearing off. She opened her eyes to see Skye smiling at her.

"Well, clearly May's missed you." she teased.

Simmons jumped a little and, involuntarily, moved back from Skye. The hacker frowned and moved back a bit herself.

"Right, sorry, didn't mean to startle you." she said apologetically.

Simmons gave a sad smile.

"I'm sorry, Skye." she whispered, looking away.

Skye fought against the tears that stung her eyes and shook her head.

"No, it's fine." she said as she moved to sit in one of the chairs.

"You're not yourself, I get it."

Fitz watched the exchanged. Poor Skye. She was only trying to help. But Simmons was so damaged. Fitz went over and sat down beside Jemma. She sat up and sidled close to him, grasping for his hand. Fitz took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. He smiled at her gently.

"She's here to help, Jemma. I promise you." he whispered comfortingly.

Jemma gave a small smile and nodded before resting her head on his shoulder. Fitz sighed and turned his attention to Skye.

"So, did May explain what you're looking for?" he asked.

Skye nodded and got her laptop out of her bag.

"Yeah some sort of hypnosis machine?" she checked.

Fitz nodded.

"Something that uses auditory and visual cues to stimulate certain areas of the brain and put other areas asleep." he clarified.

Skye started clicking and typing on her computer, her face determined and focused.

"Let me see if I can access that information from here, that'd be safest. But, it this is anything like what we dealt with in Cybertech, we may need to do most of the heavy lifting at the lab." she explained as she typed.

Fitz nodded and looked at May.

"If we end up having to go to the lab, can you have someone bring Simmons back to the Playground?" he asked.

Jemma looked at Fitz in shock and grabbed his arm desperately.

"No, I'm not going to leave you, Fitz." she said in a panic.

Fitz looked at her pleadingly.

"Jemma, it's not safe for you there. If Hydra catches us, they'll take you from me again and…God, Jemma, don't make me go through that again. Please." he begged.

"And what if they catch you? And take you from me, Fitz?" she insisted.

Fitz looked at Simmons for a long moment, considering everything in his head. He looked at Skye and then May.

"It's your call, Fitz. I'll watch your back one way or another." May promised.

Fitz looked back at Jemma. He sighed and nodded.

"Okay, but you're staying right by me the whole time, you understand?"

She nodded vigorously and squeezed his hand tightly.

"It shouldn't take me too long once we get there. Five minutes tops." Skye added.

May gave Fitz her Icer.

"If Simmons stops trusting you, you're going to need this." she said seriously.

Fitz nodded and took it. He gave Jemma's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Thank you. But it won't come to that." he replied.

May nodded and dug into a bag that Skye had brought with her. She holstered two guns on her hips and one Icer on her thigh, just in case. She tossed a gun to Skye before zipping the bag back up and slung it over her shoulder.

"We should get going. The sooner we can get this intel, the sooner Fitz can start working on a way to get Simmons back to normal." she said before heading for the door.

Skye closed her laptop and put it in her bag. She shouldered the bag and stood up, smiling at Fitz-Simmons.

"See, I told you May missed you." she joked before following her S.O. out the door.

Fitz stood up and held his hand out to Simmons.

"Come on. It's time we went home." he said softly.

Simmons hesitated. She looked around the apartment wistfully. As far as she was concerned, this was their home. Leaving meant living with strangers and enemies, in her mind. But they weren't strangers or enemies. Deep down, buried under everything Hydra had put into her head, she knew she could trust them. She looked at Fitz. With a small smile, she grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull her into a tender kiss.

"I'm still not giving up on you, Jemma." he whispered against her lips.

With that, he entwined his fingers in hers and led her out of the apartment for the last time. No turning back. Fitz was going to get his Jemma back, no matter the cost.

**~*#*~**

Fitz-Simmons, May, Skye, and Hunter hovered over the Hydra lab in the quinjet. Hunter was going to stay close-by to pick up the team in fifteen minutes. They had that long to get in, find the mainframe, hack it, and get out. Skye was certain they could get it done. Hunter brought the jet in close to the roof and the team bailed out before he pulled up and disappeared into the night. May led the way with Skye in back and Fitz-Simmons sandwiched in-between the two field agents. They went in through the rooftop fire escape and made their way to the third floor.

"That's where the main lab is." Fitz whispered.

May nodded and led the team down the stairs, slowly, checking every doorway and corner. When they made it to the third floor doorway, May had them all stand back. She opened the door and went in slowly. She checked every nook, every cranny, and every hidden corner meticulously. When she was sure it was clear, she waved the rest of the team in. They quickly made their way to the main computer room. The door was electronically sealed, but Skye was able to crack the code in a matter of seconds. Once they were in, she plugged in her laptop and went straight to work.

"You'll recognize this thing when you see it?" she asked Fitz.

Fitz nodded and watched over the hacker's shoulder. Simmons kept herself pressed close behind him, clinging to his arm for security. May watched out the door, her gun raised and ready in case of any surprises. Skye fingers typed furiously and images started popping up on the screen. Fitz scanned each one quickly. Though he would have loved to see and study all of them, he searched out the one he had seen the day he and Jemma were captured. Getting Jemma back to normal was him main mission right now. Anything else came second in his mind. Finally, he pointed at the screen.

"There! That's it!" he exclaimed quietly.

Skye nodded and quickly worked on copying all the information related to the device onto her computer.

"Hurry it up, Skye." May said over her shoulder.

Skye typed and clicked for a few more seconds then sighed in relief. The file was downloading but she decided to use this opportunity to damage Hydra as well. She planted a virus. A very sneaky, slow moving virus that, if it did what she programmed it to do, would cripple any computer that interacted with this one. By the time Hydra caught it, the organization might be crippled beyond repair. That was for Jemma. And, also, a little bit for herself. Once the blueprints had downloaded and Skye had successfully planted her little bug, she closed her laptop.

"Done!" she said triumphantly.

May nodded and signaled for her to get moving. Once Skye and Fitz-Simmons were out, she closed the door and followed the group to the stairs. They had done it. Fitz now had everything he needed to make a device to unearth Jemma's real memories and destroy all the trash Hydra had planted. The group reached the top of the stairs and went out onto the roof to hide and wait for Hunter. He would be coming for them any second.

"You should be congratulated, Agents. That was an impressive feat."

The group looked at the stairwell. A single man stood in the doorway. Hector. He looked at Fitz angrily.

"I thought you were an ally, Fitz. I though for sure that Simmons would keep you here as long as we needed you." he growled.

Fitz shook his head.

"Hector, you don't understand. Hydra is evil! I've seen it first hand. It doesn't matter any good that they do, at the end of the day they're out to take over the world." Fitz retorted.

May had her gun leveled at Hector's head.

"This guys a friend of yours, Fitz?" she asked.

Fitz nodded.

"He doesn't know what Hydra's really all about. He's not a true believer or whatever, Hydra just got him out of prison." Fitz explained.

Hew turned to Hector and looked at him pleadingly.

"We can help you, Hector. S.H.I.E.L.D would love to have you on it's side. You can fight for the good guys instead of kidnappers and murderers. Just, give it a chance." he reasoned.

But Hector ignored Fitz. He looked at Jemma.

"Dr. Simmons, take a deep breath. Calm your mind. You know what is best." he said calmly.

Confused, Fitz looked at Jemma. She looked a little zoned out. Her eyes were focused on Hector. Fitz grabbed her arm gently.

"Jemma, what's wrong?" he asked, worriedly.

"You know what is best, Jemma. What is best is to comply. Compliance will be rewarded." Hunter continued.

Simmons blinked and nodded.

"I am happy to comply." she said stiffly.

Hector smiled.

"Get away from Agent Fitz, Jemma. He is not your friend. I am your friend. Come to me." he ordered.

Jemma nodded and tore away from Fitz before steadily making her way over to Hector. Fitz went after her, grabbing her hand.

"Jemma, no, stop! He's controlling you, you have to fight it!" Fitz begged.

Simmons yanked her hand away from him and continued toward Hector.

"I told you before, Fitz: she can't hear you. We own her!" Hector laughed.

Fitz ground his teeth and grabbed Simmons again.

"Stop it, Jemma! You're stronger than this, I know you are!" he insisted.

He pulled her into a rough, passionate kiss, hoping the action would reach deep into her heart and soul and make her realize what was going on. Instead, her hand came hard and fast across his cheek. Fitz drew back, shocked, as Jemma went to stand beside Hector. The Hydra Agent smiled and shook his head.

"I told you it's powerful. She's not even your friend anymore. She hates you." he said with a dark chuckled.

Hector put his arm around Simmons' waist and pulled her close. He smiled at her wickedly.

"Come here, you sexy brainiac." he purred before kissing Simmons.

Fitz watched in distress as the love of his life threw herself at the other man with passion and vigor. He didn't even hear as Hunter brought the quinjet down. He just felt May's hand around his wrist as she dragged him to the plane. He didn't register being pulled into the jet. He didn't hear Skye screaming at May for leaving Simmons behind. His whole body went numb. He broke down sobbing quietly. He felt Skye's arms around him and felt her own hot, angry tears land on his shoulder. After a few minutes, he sucked in a breath and looked up at no one in particular.

"I'm not giving up." he whispered fiercely.

He gently broke out of Skye's embrace and stood up.

"Do you hear me, Jemma Simmons?! I am _not_ giving up on you!" he vowed.

**~*#*~**

**Oh, writing that last bit killed me! X_X But, I have it all worked out so do not fret Fitz-Simmons fans! Thank you so much for sticking with it! I will try to post at least one more chapter on Christmas Eve and then finish the whole thing by New Years! Please review, follow, and favorite! Thank you again for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

Fitz worked around the clock on his device to reverse the brainwashing. He hardly at or slept. He would only really speak to Skye, if he spoke at all. He was hell bent on getting the device completed. Coulson was planning a major strike on Hydra. With Skye's virus working its way through their systems, it was only a matter of time before S.H.I.E.L.D would have to perfect window to attack.

Fitz and Skye became an unstoppable force. They spent every minute they could together. Between meals and training sessions with May, Skye would go to the lab and help Fitz with anything he needed. She even went so far as to let him use her as a human guinea pig, letting him try to erase selected memories from her mind. Nothing important, just little things about the Rising Tide or her time in foster care. Something that she would not miss.

"Right, now the memories we removed yesterday were about the Rising Tide." Fitz muttered as he calibrated the latest prototype of the memory recovery device.

He held up a picture of Skye's old boyfriend, Miles.

"Do you recognize this guy?" he asked her.

Skye studied the picture and her brow furrowed.

"Vaguely. I think…did I work with him at some point?" she questioned.

Fitz pursed his lips in thought.

"Sort of." he responded.

He did some more calibrations on his machine.

"That's good though. Simmons never completely forgot anything, her memories were just…altered I guess." he mumbled.

He stopped working for a second and sighed, rubbing his eyes a bit. He was so tired. As helpful as Skye was trying to be, he needed Simmons. She could give helpful insights as to how the brain worked and suggest different techniques for unlocking memories. As it was, Fitz was having to go through a lot more trial and error than he was used to. He felt bad about experimenting on Skye but, truthfully, that was the driving force of his research. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Skye looking at him with determination.

"You can get it, Fitz. I know you can." she encouraged.

Fitz gave her a small smile and nodded.

"I know. Thank you." he said gratefully.

He went back to his tinkering.

"For what it's worth, you have been a fantastic help. I wouldn't have nearly as much data without you, my little lab rat." he joked lightly.

Skye snorted and rolled her eyes. But she smiled.

"I just wish I could do more. What you really need is a Simmons surrogate. Someone who can speak your language and help you work through things from a medical perspective." she said earnestly.

"Maybe I can help?"

Fitz and Skye turned to see Tripp standing in the doorway of the lab. He walked over to the pair, a determined look on his face.

"You two have been hacking away at this by yourselves for days now. Maybe it's time for a fresh perspective?" he offered.

Fitz and Skye looked at one another. Skye shrugged.

"It couldn't hurt, Fitz." she suggested.

Fitz looked at Tripp. He was not a fan of the guy. Hadn't been since they day he came on the Bus and started, in Fitz's eyes, coming on to Simmons. But he was offering help and Fitz needed as much of that as he could get. So, he smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be great." he replied pleasantly.

Tripp smiled and came over to check out their progress.

"So, what have you got so far?" he asked.

"Well, I've gotten the memory replacement and erasing part pretty much down. Now I'm just trying to work on the recovery process. I've successfully erased and altered a couple of Skye's memories so now I just need to reverse the process but that's proving a bit more difficult." Fitz explained.

"What about hat machine you recovered when you saved Coulson? The one that helped him remember the truth about T.A.H.I.T.I." Tripp suggested.

Fitz and Skye exchanged knowing looks.

"That's kind of the nuclear option. As much as that machine helped A.C, it hurt him even more. We want to avoid using it on Simmons." Skye explained.

Tripp nodded in understanding and looked at Fitz

"But, you know, it couldn't hurt to take a look at it and see if there is any tech in it that you might be able to use for your device." he suggested.

Fitz blinked in surprise.

"That's…actually not a bad idea." he said.

Skye smiled hopped up off her seat.

"Well, while you two get started on that, I have to take a quick shower and take care of something." she said as she took off.

Fitz went and got his Dwarfs out. Tripp looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"Bet you missed these guys, huh?" he asked.

"I miss Simmons more." Fitz mumbled as he took Bashful out of the case.

Tripp frowned and sighed.

"Look, dude, I know what you and Simmons have is special. I respect that. But don't make the mistake of thinking you're the only one who's losing sleep over this." he warned quietly.

Fitz looked up at Tripp. That's when he noticed the bags under the other man's bloodshot eyes. He wasn't kidding about losing sleep. He looked almost as bad as Fitz did. Fitz offered him a sympathetic half smile.

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just…"

Fitz looked down at the Dwarfs.

"When I was six years old, my mum's old transistor radio broke. It was the only thing she had left from my dad. She was devastated. So much so that she didn't want to throw it out. While she was at work one day, I got it out of her bedroom and started messing with it. I spent hours taking it apart and going over every piece. I even asked my neighbor, who had a collection, if I could borrow one of hers so I could see what it was all supposed to look like. My mum came home and I brought it to her. When she turned it on and music came out, tears came to her eyes. She hugged me so tightly…."

Fitz trailed off as he turned Bashful over in his hands, inspecting his little gadget absently.

"Ever since, I've always loved fixing things. Everyone in my neighborhood would come to me with all sorts broken things; from farm equipment to computers. And I could always fix it. Even if I had never seen anything like it before, I could always figure it out."

The engineer tried to keep his chin from trembling and his voice from breaking but he didn't have much luck.

"But now…when the woman I lo-… the woman I care for…when she needs me the most…It's not something I can fix. I keep trying, thinking 'If I can jus-t run a few more simulations.' or 'Maybe a few more tests will give me the answer.'…but I'm failing."

Two large teardrops splashed onto Bashful and Fitz tightened his grip around the device.

"I'm not like you, Tripp. I'm not a specialist. I don't have a varied skill set that I can whip out anytime I need it. Fixing things is all I have. And I can't fix this. I'm…I'm useless!" he whispered fiercely.

After a moment, Tripp spoke up.

"If you really believe that, then maybe you are." he said plainly.

He grabbed Fitz's shoulder gently and turned him around to look in his eyes.

"I've seen what you can do, Fitz. Fixing isn't all you've got. The things you make, the things you do…it's incredible. Now maybe your physical skill set is limited. But you have heart, Fitz. And that's what matters at the end of the day. Any dumbass can learn how to shoot a gun or how to kick a guy's face in. But no one can learn how to have heart. You either got it or you don't. You got it in spades. And that's what makes you so good at what you do. Sure, a lot of it has to do with how godamn smart you are but the real important thing is what you put into it: your soul."

Tripp leveled his eyes a Fitz.

"That's why I know you can figure this out. You're right, Jemma needs you. That's why you're going to fix it."

A smile pulled at the corner of Fitz's mouth.

"You're right."

He took a deep breath and sighed.

"Simmons needs me. I can do this." he said, reassuring himself.

Tripp smiled and patted Fitz's shoulder.

"There you go, big guy." he encouraged.

"Now let's get to that machine." he coaxed.

Fitz nodded and wiped Bashful off before grabbing his controller and following Tripp to the storage room.

**~*#*~**

It only took a few minutes for Fitz to do a complete internal and external scan of the machine. Once he was done, he and Tripp headed back to the lab to go over the specs together. Tripp was no Simmons but he was still a lot of help in the 'spitballing' process. The two went over the layout again and again and always came back to the same conclusion: the most effective way of bringing old memories back was with pain. Physical or emotional, it didn't matter. Pain was the most sound, most effective, and most consistent way of digging through the brain and bringing to light the things that people forgot. Fitz sighed and dug his fingers through his hair.

"There's got to be another way." he whispered hopelessly.

Tripp rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head.

"Maybe, man, but it's gonna take us a lot longer to find it." he said, resigned.

Fitz looked at the data again and shook his head.

"Well, the only way to be sure is with testing. I'll go see if Skye's up for it." he said as he left the lab.

He went out into the hall and started toward Skye's room. On the way there, he ran into Hunter. The mercenary agent smiled.

"Well, finally come out of your secret lair I see. Finally get to missing the real world?" Hunter teased.

Fitz smirked and rolled his eyes.

"Nah, the fake world of Science and Engineering is much more fun." he joked back.

Hunter laughed and patted his shoulder.

"Looking for something then, mate?" he asked.

Fitz nodded.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, have you seen Skye?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah, she's in her super-secret basement room." Hunter said with a nod.

Fitz looked at the other man questioningly.

"Super-secret basement room?" he asked.

"Yeah, she goes down there every once in a while and comes back really pissy. I think there's someone down there, an ex-Hydra agent or something, and she practices her interrogation skills on him." Hunter explained.

Fitz nodded slowly, not quite sure what to make of the situation.

"Right, um…where is that exactly?" Fitz asked.

Hunter pointed down the hall.

"Follow this al the way down, hang a left to the stairs." he instructed.

Fitz nodded and started off.

"Thanks." he said as he passed Hunter.

Secret room? Fitz had never heard anything about Skye having a secret room. Maybe that was just Hunter messing with him. Well, Fitz needed to find Skye anyway. Might as well see what this was all about. He found the stairs and made his way down. He stopped on the landing and stood in front of the door. He considered knocking. But he was curious. And, if this were really a secret room, Skye would never let him in if he knocked. So, very quietly, he opened the door and slid inside. He froze in his tracks when he saw the secret. In the middle of the room was a chair, which Skye was sitting in. In front of her, seemingly roaming free, was Ex-Agent Grant Douglas Ward. Fitz felt all of the blood rush to his cheeks in uninhibited anger. Ward was the first to spot him. He looked at Skye and pointed toward Fitz.

"We have a visitor." he said calmly.

Skye whipped around. She paled when she saw the engineer.

"Fitz." she whispered, horrified.

Fitz didn't say anything. What could he say? Words absolutely failed him. He just shook his head and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Once outside, he leaned his head on the wall opposite the door. Angry sobs rose from his chest. He felt so betrayed. How could Skye do this? Keep this from him? The man who had almost killed him, who had put Simmons in the hospital, was living just under their feet. He heard the door open and clenched his fists. He turned on Skye, furious.

"I trusted you!" he spat.

Skye held up her hands, attempting to calm the scientist down.

"Fitz, let me explain." she said calmly.

"What is there to explain, Skye? You kept this from us, I had a right to know! Simmons had a right to know!" he yelled.

Skye shook her head.

"No, Fitz, we were trying to protect you. We knew that thi-"

"We?" Fitz asked, cutting her off. "How many other people knew, Skye?" he demanded.

Skye sighed.

"Just me, May and Coulson." she admitted. "But I swear, Fitz, it was only to protect you!"

Fitz was near hyperventilating now. He paced around, unsure of what to do. He glared at Skye and got right up in her face.

"For nine days, Skye! Nine goddamn days she was comatose in that bed! And all that time, you were having secret rendezvous with her would-be killer!" he screamed angrily.

"What, you think I liked that, Fitz? I hate him for what he's done! You aren't the only one he betrayed! But he knows stuff about Hydra, that's the only reason he's still here! That's how I knew where to start looking for you and Simmons!" she reasoned.

But Fitz was far from reason. He backed away from her, shaking his head.

"You stay away from me! Stay the bloody hell away from me!" he threatened as he retreated back up the stairs.

When he got to the top, Coulson was there, looking at him pityingly.

"Fitz, we didn't do this to hurt you." he said simply.

Fitz looked at Coulson. His faith in this man had been shaken but, other than Simmons, he was the one person Fitz felt like he could really trust. Fitz took a deep, shaky breath and an even shakier sigh escaped his lips.

"Why did you hide it from me?" he whispered pleadingly.

"I thought it was best. I was wrong." Coulson admitted.

"I've been struggling with this T.A.H.I.T.I. thing for so long now that I've forgotten what it was like to find out that it was hidden from me. I should never have done that to you and I'm sorry." he said calmly.

Fitz nodded, tears still threatening to spill.

"I'm still not happy about it but…I guess I understand."

Coulson nodded in understanding and then sucked in a breath.

"I came to tell you both that we're going to make our strike on Hydra. Skye's virus has crippled their systems so, now's our chance. I'm putting you two on Simmons. Hopefully they'll be too focused on the rest of us to worry about her." he reported.

Fitz nodded.

"I'll do my best, sir." he said determinedly.

~*#*~

"I'll do my best, sir." Simmons said dutifully.

Hector smiled and cupped her chin, smiling at her flirtatiously.

"And what will you do your best at?" he purred.

Simmons gave a wicked smirk.

"Killing Agent Fitz." she growled.

**Merry Christmas everyone! ^_^ Thank you all for your support! Please review, follow, and favorite! We're in the home stretch now so bare with me for at least two more chapters! Thanks again and I'll see you all after the holidays!**


	8. Chapter 8

Skye and Fitz went in on the ground floor while the others went in through the roof. They broke in through a service entrance and started making their way through the building. Skye was on high alert, keeping her Icer raised and checking every corner before letting Fitz continue on. Once they were a ways into the building, Skye turned to Fitz.

"Alright, let's send out the Retrievers." she suggested.

Fitz nodded and pulled the case out of his bag. He set it down on the ground and pushed the release. One by one the little yellow spheres shot up into the air and darted off in different directions. Fitz pulled out his monitor pad and scanned through the various video feeds. After a moment, he pointed off down a hallway to the right.

"There, that one looks like it's on the trail of something." he said as he started packing his tech up.

Skye nodded and went ahead of him down the hall. Fitz followed closely after her watching the feed for any sign of Simmons. They walked in silence, following the path that the Retriever was showing them. After a while, Skye spoke up.

"I'm sorry I hid Ward from you, Fitz. I know how much that hurt you." she said softly.

Fitz gave a deep sigh.

"I can see why you did it. Really, I can. However,…I trusted him, you know. I thought that he was my friend right up to the point where he pressed the release on the pod. That feeling of being fooled…being deceived and betrayed by someone you trust….someone you care about….I never wanted to feel that way again. So, when I saw you had been hiding something from me…I got scared. Those terrible feelings rushed back and I couldn't think."

Skye looked back at Fitz apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Fitz. I didn't realize."

Fitz shrugged.

"I'm fine now. Like I said, I understand." he said, giving a reassuring smile.

Skye smiled back and nodded.

"I'm glad you think of me as a friend and not just part of your team. I consider that an honor, really. You're a great guy, Fitz."

Fitz felt a little blush come to his cheeks.

"Yeah, well, you're pretty amazing yourself, Skye. Not every person would let someone experiment on them and erase their memories, even if they were friends. I really appreciate it." he replied.

Skye shrugged.

"Hey, the kids have to stick together. You. Me. Simmons. We all started this at the same time. You guys had never been in the field and I was a free-lance hacker turned consultant. I plan on following this with you guys until the end." she explained.

Fitz smiled widely.

"Sounds like a plan." he concurred.

"Now let's get Simmons back so we can do that, yeah?' Skye said as they continued on.

**~*#*~**

"You understand what you have to do?" Hector asked as he tied Jemma's arms behind the chair.

Jemma nodded.

"Play the victim. Let them rescue me. Get Fitz alone and end him." she repeated.

Hector smiled and nodded.

"That's a good girl." he said as he tightened his knots.

He came around, squatted down in front of Jemma, and put his hands on the arms of the chair.

"I won't be too far a way. I'll help you if you get into trouble, but I think you can handle this. You've picked up on this pretty well over the past few days." he encouraged her.

She smiled down at him, that sexy twinkle in her eye.

"I've had an excellent teacher." she purred.

Hector chuckled and shook his head. He leaned forward and kissed her deeply. She responded, closing her eyes and moaning softly. He cupped the back of her head with one hand and slid the other one up her thigh. She growled in frustration, breaking the kiss and pouting at him.

"That's not really fair, tying me up like this and doing something like that." she whined.

Hector smiled mischievously.

"Your fault for looking at me like that." he replied, giving her leg a small pinch before pulling away.

He picked an assault rifle up off the table and loaded it before shouldering it and picking up and holstering his pistol. Finally, he grabbed a small knife and walked over to Jemma. With a wicked smile, he lifted her skirt and, slowly, tucked the knife into a sheath on her upper thigh. She bit her lip, resisting the urge to moan and glared at him.

"Really not fair." she scolded.

Hector chuckled.

"Down girl. Remember, we have a job to do." he said, patting her shoulder.

He bent down and gave her one last kiss before going to leave.

"Let's get this over with." he said with a disgruntled sigh.

He popped his knuckled and looked at Jemma apologetically.

"Gotta make this convincing." he said, pulling his fist back

**~*#*~**

The Retriever led Fitz and Skye down to the basement of the building. Skye tightened her grin on her Icer.

"Alright, Fitz, no telling what's down here. Stay right on my 6, okay?" she whispered.

Fitz nodded and drew closer to her. The pair made their way down the stairs. It was pitch black, so Skye pulled out a flashlight and held it out with her gun. They made their way around, systematically checking rooms for any sign of the biochemist. Both agents jumped when they heard what sounded like a muffled yell. They ran to where the noise had come from. Skye threw the door open and shined her flashlight at something in the middle of the room. A battered, bruised Simmons squinted against the glare of the light.

"Oh my God." Skye murmured,

She quickly looked for the light switch and turned it on. Fitz felt his stomach knot when he saw Simmons. She sat in a chair, her hands tied behind her back. Blood came from the corners of her gagged mouth and her temple and bruises were forming on her tearstained cheeks. Fitz quickly ran and started untying her.

"It's alright, Jemma. We're here. We're going to get you out of here." he said comfortingly.

Once her hands were free, Simmons tore the gag from her mouth and threw her arms around Fitz.

"Oh Fitz!" she sobbed.

Fitz wrapped his arms around her and cupped the back of her head, shushing her gently.

"It's alright, love. I'm here." he murmured.

"Simmons, what happened to you? Why did they beat you up, I thought you were brainwashed?" Skye questioned.

Jemma turned toward Skye and nodded.

"I-I was but…I started to remember and….when I started questioning him, Hector…Hector…."

Simmons couldn't finish. She broke into sobs and buried her face in Fitz's shoulder. Fitz hugged her tightly while he and Skye shared a look of horror.

"Well, you're safe now, Jemma. We're going to get you out of here." he said as he gently stroked her hair.

Just then, the sound of a door slamming resonated through the hall. All three jumped in surprise and looked at the door warily. Simmons started trembling.

"Oh, God, he's coming!" she cried in fear.

Skye put her Icer away and drew her pistol. She cocked it and went to the door.

"Fitz, stay here with Simmons, I'm going to go take care of this guy." she said, an angry edge in her voice.

Fitz nodded and watched as she ducked out into the hall. She guided Simmons back to the chair.

"Come on, sit back down for a minute. I'll take care of your injuries." he said as he hefted his bag off his shoulder.

He set it on the ground and crouched down to dig through it, his back to Simmons. A smile spread on Jemma's face. Slowly, quietly, she got up from the chair. She reached under her skirt and carefully unsheathed the knife. She advanced on Fitz as he searched through his bag for the first aid kit.

"Oh, I found some water if you're thirsty." Fitz said as he turned around, holding a bottle of water in his hand.

He turned just in time to see Simmons raise her knife, ready to strike. Fitz quickly jumped out of the way as the blade came down. He stood and stumbled backwards, looking at Simmons in shock. Then it clicked.

"You didn't remember. You've been playing us." he whispered.

Jemma chuckled and shook her head.

"You've always been so gullible, Fitz. I knew you would never suspect me if I was hurt." she said condescendingly.

Fitz clenched his fists.

"You let yourself get pummeled just to trick me?" he asked in disbelief.

Jemma shrugged and played with her knife in her hands.

"Had to make it convincing." she reasoned.

Fitz ground his teeth in anger as tears stung his eyes.

"What has that bastard done to you, Jemma? This isn't you."

Jemma rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Ugh, enough already!" she muttered before lunging at him with her knife.

Fitz moved out of the way but she slashed at him and caught him in the arm. He winced in pain but didn't have time to linger as Simmons came at him again. Fitz struggled, internally and externally. He couldn't dodge Simmons forever. But, he didn't want to hurt her either. If only he'd thought to grab an Icer. After Simmons caught him in the shoulder, he saw his opportunity. As she pulled her arm back, Fitz grabbed it tightly. He pulled her close and wrestled the knife away from her. She struggled against him but Fitz was st4rong, if only by a little.

"Stop this now, Jemma! I don't want to hurt you!" he pleaded.

He let go of her and held the knife at her. Simmons stayed at bay and glared at him.

"Then leave me alone1 I'm happy here, why do you keep trying to take me away?!" she demanded.

"Because I love you, goddammit!" Fitz screamed.

Simmons looked at him in disbelief.

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"I love you , Jemma." he said softly.

He glanced at the bruises on Simmons' face. Pain. Pain was a trigger. But Simmons had clearly been hurt pretty badly and she was still brainwashed. Then an idea struck him.

"And I'm going to help you remember that." he said sincerely.

He took the knife and drove it into his abdomen. Simmons looked on in shock as he doubled over and fell to the ground. Despite herself, she rushed over to him. When she saw the blood, pain shot through her chest. Tears stung her eyes.

"F-Fitz." she whispered.

Memories flashed through her head. Meeting Fitz at the academy. Their bitter rivalry. The chemistry project. Their growing friendship. Sci-Ops with him. Convincing Fitz to join Coulson's team. Meeting Skye. All of the fun and hurt they had gone through. The way their lives had been turned upside-down by Hydra. Garret and Ward's betrayals. Being with Fitz at the bottom of the ocean. Waking up from the coma. Tears streamed down her face.

"Fitz!" she gasped as she knelt down beside him.

She pulled his head into her lap and looked down at him.

"Hang in there, Fitz." she whispered, stroking his face gently.

Fitz winced in pain before smiling up at her softly.

"Are you really back this time?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

She nodded, her tears splashing onto his face.

"Yes, I am. I'm so sorry, Fitz." she whispered softly.

Fitz reached up and cupped her cheek, leaving little traces of blood.

"I know. That's why I never gave up." he whispered.

Simmons choked back a sob and kissed his face over and over.

"Hang on. I'm going to make this right." she whispered against his forehead.

She looked up and started yelling for help but Fitz was already slipping. He struggled to stay awake, but he was losing too much blood. The last thing he knew as the world faded to black was Jemma, stroking his cheek and murmuring to him.

"Don't leave me, Fitz. I need you."

**I hoe you all had a Merry Christmas! Just one more chapter and this particular story is finished! (yay and boo at the same time!) If you have any suggestions for the next story and/or one-shot, please leave it in the reviews or PM me! Thank you all for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

Fitz groaned and pried his eyes open. The brightness of the room was blinding, so he screwed them shut again. Where was he? He tried to think back. He had been on a mission with Skye. A mission to find Simmons. Simmons! They had found her but she had still been brainwashed! She had tried to kill him! And then...

"Fitz?"

Fitz felt someone grab his hand. The other hand felt small and a bit frail. Jemma. Fitz forced his eyes to open. The bright blur of the world slowly came into focus. He was in a hospital room. After a moment, he began to recognize it as the hospital room in the Playground. The one that Jemma had been in. And there she was, smiling down at him.

"There you are." she cooed softly.

Fitz felt a smile pull at the corners of his mouth.

"Miss me, love? " he whispered hoarsely.

Jemma's lip quivered and she nodded as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Yes. Very much so." she murmured, her voice starting to break.

Fitz squeezed her hand before bringing it to his lips and planting a kiss on her knuckles.

"Me too." he whispered against her skin.

Jemma choked back a sob and threw her arms around him. Fitz patted her back comfortingly while she whispered over and over again how sorry she was. He shook his head.

"I'm not mad at you, Jem. I'm just happy that you're finally safe." he cooed.

Jemma pulled back a bit to gaze into his eyes. Fitz brought his hand up to cradle her cheek, gently stroking it with his thumb.

"So damn happy." he whispered.

Jemma smiled as she leaned down and tenderly kissed his lips. Fitz closed his eyes and kissed her back, savoring every second. It was nearly a full 30 seconds before Fitz heard someone clear their throat behind Simmons. The couple broke apart and looked to see Skye standing in the doorway, a smirk on her face.

"You know, Dr. Simmons, I believe that's the best medicine you've given him." she teased as she came into the room.

Simmons blushed and scoffed.

"Skye, please." she said, rolling her eyes.

Skye came over and patted Jemma's back.

"Relax, I'll leave you guys alone in a minute, I just wanted to drop by before I went to training with May."

She looked at Fitz and smiled.

"Simmons told me what you did. That was pretty badass. What was your plan if it didn't work?" she inquired.

Fitz shrugged.

"Probably die I guess. I suppose I didn't really think that through well." he said sheepishly.

Skye gave him a "No, duh!" look then smiled.

"Well, I'm glad it did work. You got Simmons back for us and you got a manly-looking scar out of the deal so, win, win, win."

Fitz looked insulted.

"Are you saying, I'm not manly without a scar?" he accused.

Simmons and Skye both laughed. Skye patted Fitz's arm.

"Get well soon, buddy." she said as went to leave.

Then she remembered something. She turned to Simmons.

"Oh yeah, may wanted me to tell you that she's good to do your final session tonight." she reported.

Simmons glanced sheepishly at Fitz then smiled and nodded at Skye.

"Alright, tell her that's fine." she replied.

Skye nodded and walked off. Fitz looked at Jemma curiously.

"Session?" he questioned.

Jemma shrugged.

"Well, there's still some things I can't quite sort out so Skye and May have been helping me use the memory retrieval machine the past couple of days." she said, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.

Fitz looked at her sadly.

"I'm sorry. I tried to find a better way but I just didn't have enough time." he said, grabbing her hand again.

Jemma gave a small smile and shook her head.

"It's alright, Fitz. It's not as bad for me. I'm not trying to remember anything traumatic. Mostly trying to sift through the truth and the lies about Hydra." she said, trying to reassure him.

Fitz motioned for her to come closer. She leaned down and he cupped the back of her head. He pulled her into a deep, loving kiss. She closed her eyes and moaned softly into his lips. Fitz moved to sit up but a shooting pain in his gut told him that was a bad idea. Simmons noticed him wince and looked at him worriedly.

"Here, let me give you some more morphine. " she offered as she reached for a syringe.

Fitz grabbed her hand to stop her and shook his head.

"Morphine makes me sleepy. I don't want to sleep." he protested.

Simmons looked at him pleadingly.

"You need your rest to heal, Fitz." she said as she gently pried her arm free.

She picked the syringe up as well as a vial of morphine.

"Besides, I have to go shower anyway. I've been sitting by your bloody side since last night." she said with a small smirk.

Fitz scrunched up his face in disgust.

"I thought I smelled something manky." he teased.

Simmons scoffed and stuck the needle in his arm a bit roughly, making him gasp in pain and pull away.

"Bloody hell, woman, I was only fooling!" he whined.

Simmons gave him an innocent look and shrugged.

"Oops. I guess my manky hand slipped." she said with a cheeky smile.

She tossed the used syringe in the biohazard wastebasket and patted Fitz's head softly. She bent down and kissed his forehead.

"I'll be back when you're awake." she promised.

Fitz smiled and sighed. "I'll be waiting." he whispered.

~*#*~

Three weeks passed quickly. Fitz's recovery was slow but steady and Simmons was there to help him every step of the way. They were all but back to normal now. Coulson had no plans to put either of them back in the field anytime soon, which suited them just fine. They were perfectly content to stay tucked away in their lab. By day, they worked and argued together like they always had. Every once in a while though, Simmons would get flashbacks that would send her shaking with fear and anger. During those times, Fitz would quietly take her in his arms and stroke her hair comfortingly. And he would whisper to her, over and over:

"You're alright, baby girl. I'm here. I'm not giving up on you."

**~*#*~**

***whew* I finished! ^_^ I'm so glad and sad at the same time. This story was so fun to write and I really appreciated everyone's comments and reviews! Thank you all for reading! See you next year with more Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D fan-fics!**


	10. Bonus: Fan-Fic Playlist

**I've seen several people do this and I did, in fact listen to quite a few good songs while working on this story so, here it is! My Fitz-Simmons fan-fic play list!**

**1. Human - Christina Perri**

**2. Stutter - Marianas Trench**

**3. Valentine - Pentatonix cover**

**4. Say Something - Pentatonix cover**

**5. Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips**

**6. My Immortal - Lindsey Sterling cover**

**7. Shatter Me - Lindsey Sterling ft Lzzy Hale**

**8. Demons - Imagine Dragons**

**And, as a special year-end treat, I will tell you the prompt I got for my next fan-fic!**

**Prompt: Fitz has been turned into a werewolf and Simmons is looking for the cure. But time and luck are not on their side. Agent Hand has decided that Fitz is too dangerous to be left running loose. She's assigned Agent Skye to either bring him in or cross him off. **


End file.
